Combating illegal immigration was a key element of the Republican’s presidential campaign.
President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed his intention to invoke a national emergency and utilize military resources for the deportation of undocumented immigrants. During his re-election campaign, Trump pledged the largest-ever deportation operation targeting criminal undocumented immigrants and repeatedly suggested military involvement.
On Monday, Trump shared a post by conservative activist Tom Fitton on Truth Social. Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group, stated that the Trump administration would “declare a national emergency and will use military assets” for mass deportations.
Trump’s response to Fitton’s post was simply, “TRUE!!!”
The 1976 National Emergencies Act permits presidents to declare national emergencies and redirect federal funds at their discretion.
Trump’s immigration plans include increased deportations, reinstating a travel ban for certain countries, closing the border to asylum seekers, and ending birthright citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented parents.
Trump’s former senior advisor Stephen Miller previously told The New York Times that the military could build large-scale detention facilities for those awaiting deportation.
The Department of Homeland Security estimates approximately 11 million people are in the US illegally.
Trump previously declared a national emergency at the southern border in 2019, diverting military funds for border wall construction. This construction was halted following President Biden’s election in 2021.